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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Common signs and symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis include:
- Inflammation (redness) of the skin
- Patchy scaling or thick crusts on your scalp
- Yellow or white flakes (dandruff) on your scalp or your hair, eyebrows, beard or mustache
- Red, greasy skin covered with flaky white or yellow scales on other areas of your body, including your chest, armpits, the area where your thigh meets your abdomen (groin) or the male scrotum
- Itching or soreness
Seborrheic dermatitis most often affects your scalp, but it can occur between skin folds and on skin rich in oil glands. It can develop in and between your eyebrows, on the sides of your nose and behind your ears, over your breastbone, in your groin area, and sometimes in your armpits. In most people, it's a chronic condition. You'll likely experience periods when your signs and symptoms improve alternating with times when they worsen.
In infants, seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp is known as cradle cap. The patches may be thick, yellow, crusty or greasy. In babies with cradle cap, the face and diaper area may also be affected. In most babies, seborrheic dermatitis clears up by age 1.
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if:
- You're so uncomfortable that you're losing sleep or are distracted from your daily routines
- Your condition is causing embarrassment and anxiety
- You suspect your skin is infected
- You've tried self-care steps without success
- Berger TG. Dermatologic disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. 50th ed. New York City, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=747. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Datner A. Complementary and alternative medicine in dermatology. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3005766. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Plewig G, et al. Seborrheic dermatitis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2951940. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Naldi L, et al. Seborrheic dermatitis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:387.
- Stefanaki I, et al. Therapeutic update on seborrheic dermatitis. Skin Therapy Letter. 2010;15:e1. http://www.skintherapyletter.com/2010/15.5/1.html. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Morelli V, et al. Alternative therapies for common dermatologic disorders, part 1. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:269. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/238184569-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=23315271&sid=0/N/747943/1.html?issn=0095-4543. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Weston WL, et al. Overview of dermatitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 29, 2011.
- Dattner AM. Seborrheic dermatitis. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier. 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-2/0/1494/0.html. Accessed April 2, 2011.
- Public health advisory: Elidel (pimecrolimus) cream and Protopic (tacrolimus) cream. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/PublicHealthAdvisories/UCM051760. Accessed April 1, 2011.
- Pielop JA. Benign skin and scalp lesions in the newborn and young infant. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 1, 2011.
- Fish oil. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 3, 2011.
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